Byzantium (5002)
The Byzantine Civilization was randomly selected for the second CivPIF game in Civilization V, also known as Game 5002. The players of Byzantium (5002) were TheIpleJonesion, RetroSpaceMan, ArchWizard101, dommitor, and Tiberius, in that order. The game settings were set to Standard, Standard Map, Continents, and Prince Difficulty, with the number turns per n''th round following the [[max(55-5n,15) formula|max(55-5''n,15) formula]]. The game ran through ten rounds and is currently ongoing. There are ten entries in the Story of Byzantium (5002) which recount the history of Byzantium (5002), an ongoing CivPIF game. History Constantinople began in an isolated location, with mountains to its east, the tundra to its north, and a sea to its west and south. Despite the isolation, Byzantium made early contacts with Tyre, Kathmandu, and Monaco during 4000-2000 BC. In roughly 3500 BC, warfare began between the Byzantine and nearby barbarians.The Temple of Artemis was built in Constantinople sometime before 2000 BC. The Byzantine nobility began relatively early as well, with a Prince of Byzantium ruling during the Ancient Era, and likely one of his descendants being the subject of the Classical Era song, "All Hail the King". In roughly 420 BC, another war between the Byzantines and the barbarians would conclude. In roughly 400 BC, Almaty was discovered. In roughly 395 BC, Mt. Fuji was discovered. In roughly 370 BC, Confucius would preach to the Byzantines, starting Confucianism. In 349 BC, the new monarchy began, starting with King Dommitor I. The period from 349 BC to at least 350 AD would be referred to as 1-700 YK (years of our king). In 25 YK, Cape Town was discovered. In 93 YK, mathematics was discovered. In roughly 100 YK, Protestantism was formed, while another Byzantine-Barbarian war ended to the north of Almaty. Sometime later Kiev was discovered, and in 154 YK, the leader of Kiev invited Queen Dommitoria II of Byzantium to their palace. In roughly 250 YK, Byzantium pledged protection to its neighboring City-States. In 325 YK, Nicaea was settled. In 375 YK, currency was invented. In 24 AD, Byzantium met Germany by discovering Berlin to the west of Nicaea. In roughly 430 YK, Byzantium met Florence. In roughly 450 YK, Pope Francis I founded Catholicism in Austria. In roughly 450 YK, Byzantium met China, and later traded furs with them in 500 YK. China and Germany both showed interest in allying with Monaco in 550 YK. Confucianism spread to Adrianople in 680 YK (330 AD) and to Nicaea in 490 AD. In 350 AD, the Medieval Period began with the invention of Guilds (including the Lollipop Guild). In 370 AD, the Liberty Manifesto was written, demanding that the Dommitorian Kings step down. By 452 AD, a Chancellor was in control of Byzantium, and he or she had negotiated open borders with Germany. Later during the medieval period, Byzantium would become the Byzantine Empire, ruled by Emperors. Medieval emperors would oversee building of many temples and an Oracle. The Emperor would wage war on Almaty so that Byzantium could have control over Mt. Fuji. Byzantium became more of a theocratic state as a result, and constructed the Hagia Sophia to increase faith. In roughly 1000 AD, one of the Emperors was stabbed to death at the entrance of his palace. The death would not end the theocratic empire though, according the history as detailed by monks in the Middle Ages. In 1110 AD, a great prophet was born. In 1150 AD, Religious Tolerance had been decreed. In 1210 AD, a temple Borobudur had been constructed. In 1220 AD, Byzantium encountered Milan and Florence, who the monks described as sinners. In the 13th and 14th centuries, Confucianism spread to Florence (1230 AD), Geneva (1260 AD), Kiev (1350 AD), and Kathmandu (1370 AD). During this time, another great prophet was born, in 1290 AD, and Byzantium met Denmark in 1300 AD. The theocratic empire was later controlled by patriarchs, starting in 1560 AD, when the patriarchs killed Emperor Jonesion V, and thus Emperor Retro VI took the throne. During the patriarchy, the Emperors were elected by the patriarchs who were elected by the churches. Under the patriarchs, Byzantium saw a surplus of gold, and encountered new Civilizations, such as Russian, the Netherlands, and Austria, whose religions were deemed heretical. After the end of the patriarchal authority, Archwizard of Byzantium would take control in the 17th century. During Archwizard's reign, Otto von Bismarck of Germany denounced the Byzantine Empire, and thus Archwizard of Byzantium declared war on Germany in 1630. The two countries would later make peace, with Byzantium disavowing their alleged rights to the city of Munich, and with Germany surrendering in 1660. At some point during Archwizard's reign, he would propose that Confucianism be declared a World Religion, and at some point near the end of Archwizard's reign, Oxford University would be built in Constantinople. Later a group of neo-Dommitorians called the Order of Acoudemus would take control from 1675 to 1750 AD and transform the Byzantium theocracy into a republic, until a coup by King Theopemptus. During the Acoudemian period, Confucianism spread to Moscow (1675 AD), Amsterdam (1695 AD), Berlin (1720 AD), Cologne (1725 AD), Florence (1750 AD), and Copenhagen (1750 AD), outpacing all other religions and double of the second largest-religion, Catholicism. The Order had Andrianople and Antioch focus on gold income, which was used to give gifts to Milan to make it ally Byzantium. The Order had Constantinople and Nicaea focus on science, which lead to the discovery of Architecture and pushed Byzantium closer to the Industrial Era. The Order had also attracted a great musician which was invited to the Constantinople Opera House. During the Acoumedian period, the German-Dutch alliance grew stronger, both of which were strongly anti-Byzantium, the Russian-Dutch alliance weakened, and the Russian-Austrian war began. The Civilizations were also in competition of which City-States they were allied with. After the coup by King Theopemptus, the republic focused on modernizing its army, and part of the government's power was given to a Parliament of Constantinople which decreed in 1742 that it would build up its naval infrastructure and trade with eastern isles and other civilizations. In 1748, the Parliament decreed that it would annex Almaty and purchase all land surrounding Mt. Fuji. In 1763, Byzantium and Korea formed an alliance, working together on research projects. In 1790, Queen Pericleia, successor to King Theopemptus, decreed that Byzantium would sponsor naval explorations. In 1810, Congressional President Eusthasius declared that Byzantium was a theocratic republic under the Byzantine Congress. The world council had rejected Confucianism as a world religion; however, Byzantium re-proposed the idea. The Byzantine Congress announced that it would attempt to get voting rights for City-States, would try to convince City-States to vote in favor of a World Religion, and that it would send missionaries to the Baltika continent. Not much is known about what happened after 1810, however, the unconfirmed Confucian archives suggest that Byzantine scientific development was falling behind, and plans were made to use faith to advance scientific progress.